INFO

Reportaje

Telecommunications in Portugal

Portugal has 10.6 million citizens. There are 4.2 million subscribers of fixed telephone lines, and 12.2 million active cellular phones. The number of Internet users is estimated to be 3.2 million (2006). The number of hosts (computers with permanent IP address) is about 836 000 (2007). According to European Competitive Telecommunications Association, at the beginning of 2006 about 12.3% of Portuguese people had broadband access to the Internet. At the same time the European leader was Denmark, with the percentage of 29%, whereas the figure was 4.4% in Czech Republic, 3,3% in Poland, 75% in the USA. The leader of TV market in Portugal, both in the number of subscribers and in implementation of modern technological solutions, is TV Cabo. In 1999, TV Cabo supported by Motorola introduced broadband Internet in cable networks. It was also the first television platform in the world that started up interactive TV services (VoD, home banking, shopping - based on Microsoft TV Platform). Portugal belongs to the small group of several European countries that have not launched digital terrestrial broadcasts yet. The start of DVB-T platform is planned for 2013, including terrestrial HD transmissions.

Availability of telecommunication services in Portugal (2006) in comparison with other countries of EU ("old EU" - Belgium, new EU member - Czech Republic)

Portugal

Czech Rep.

Belgium

Population (million)

10.6

10.2

10.4

Number of fixed lines (million)

4.2

2.9

4.7

Cellular phones (million)

12.3

12.4

9.7

Number of hosts (million)

0.8

1.7

3.2

Internet users (million)

3.2

3.5

4.8

Google searches (million)

88.6

315.0

177.0

With similar rates of phone services there can be seen a disproportion (to Portugal's disadvantage) in Internet infrastructure (the number of hosts). The last row (the number of Google searches) shows activity of Internet users. It is also much lower than in the compared countries (additional comparison - for .pl domain the result is 601 million, with 3.8 times more population).

(Results of Google searches, August 2008;the rest of data from CIA Factbook)

TV tower in Lisbon

TV tower in Porto

TV antennas on Portuguese roofs

Coimbra - the city boasting the oldest university in Portugal. Even the advocates of anarchy do not cut themselves off from the indoctrination device (television). The antennas and "climate paintings" on the commune house in Coimbra.

WLAN is rather not popular in Portugal. There are not many Wi-Fi antennas (these have been spotted on the roof in Coimbra)

But wireless transmission is very convenient in the case of dispersed buildings, like those of Expo, near Lisbon. On the left - the antennas of a wireless link, in the middle - the exhibition pavilion, on the right - Vasco da Gama Tower.

Satellite dishes of Cabo on a tenement building in Lisbon. The facade of the building is covered with characteristic Portuguese ceramic tiles (azulejos)

A beautiful facade of the church of the Carmelites in Porto, fortunately without antenna embellishments

Better safe than sorry - this satellite dish in Lisbon is monitored by a CCTV camera

Cabo satellite dishes on buildings in Porto

The garden of an enthusiast for satellite TV in Porto

A nice panorama of Porto situated on both banks of Douro river

Satellite TV in a camper - after a day spent in the seaside town of Nazare it is nice to watch TV in the car

Maybe in the South you don't have to care so much...

The sound of the bell announces celebrations since erection of the church, over long distances. Today, for communication there are also used wireless links. Barcelos - the bell of the church and the antenna on the police station building

Low signals have to be amplified. At the famous market in Barcelos there are sold distillers, simply the amplifiers of wine strength

There are also available legendary cockerels - the symbols of Portugal. Legend has it that when a pilgrim going to Santiago de Compostela, alleged to have stolen silverware, appeared before the judge eating cooked cock, the bird revived to testify to the suspect's innocence.

Sintra, not far from Lisbon - the Royal Palace. The views are fabulous but...

... the GSM tower is enough to disillusion us

Fatima: on the left a set of antennas on one of the buildings, on the right - the main church of the sanctuary

Other pictures from Portugal

Rua Augusta - Lisbon's main pedestrian street

Characteristic yellow trams go through heavily built-up area of Lisbon

Monastery in Batalha

Portugal without Ronaldo? - Impossible!

Portuguese women: image of an angel on azulejos and a contemporary billboard

The delights of the palate - a glass of cherry liqueur and a cup of coffee